1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle seats. More particularly, the present invention relates to vehicle seats having front tilting mechanisms.
2. Description of Related Art
A vehicle seat having a front tilting mechanism is already known. The front tilting mechanism is capable of vertically moving a front portion (a tiltable portion or a movable portion) of a seat cushion which portion may function to support femoral portions of a passenger, so as to adjust a height of the seat cushion front portion based on a body type of the passenger. In the vehicle seat, the front tilting mechanism includes a power transmission device that is constructed of a gear train. That is, a main portion of the seat cushion is provided with a sector gear that is attached thereto. Conversely, the tiltable portion of the seat cushion is provided with a pinion gear that meshes with the sector gear. Thus, upon rotation of the pinion gear, the tiltable portion is capable of vertically moving with respect to the main portion. Such a vehicle seat is taught, for example, by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Number 2001-301497.
However, the vehicle seat includes a pinion gear drive mechanism in order to drive or rotate the pinion gear. The pinion gear drive mechanism is attached to the tiltable portion. This may lead to increased weight of the tiltable portion.